AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
The U.S. has long inserted itself in Latin American politics, from military interventions in Mexico and Panama to supporting armed rebellions and military dictatorships. Multiple administrations have seen the region through the lens of the Monroe Doctrine. That's a doctrine that establishes the U.S. as the dominant world power in the region. So how do yesterday's events in Venezuela fit in with this history? We're joined now by Eduardo Gamarra. He's a professor of politics and international relations at Florida International University. Good morning.
EDUARDO GAMARRA: Good morning. Thank you for having me.
RASCOE: The U.S. isn't new to interfering in Latin America, but the capture and removal of a sitting president, like we saw yesterday, it seems to be one of the most aggressive and overt examples of U.S. interference. Like, what is your reaction?
GAMARRA: Well, it's certainly a different kind of intervention. I guess the only parallel is Manuel Antonio Noriega in 1989. However, the clear difference is that we're not recognizing Maduro as the president of Venezuela. We're calling him a narcotrafficking terrorist. But at the same time, we're recognizing now, as the legitimate transitional president of Venezuela, we're recognizing Delcy Rodríguez, the vice president. So we have an interesting contradiction there. If the president was illegitimate, what makes the vice president legitimate and the person who is going to continue?
RASCOE: Well, President Trump said yesterday, the U.S. will run Venezuela until a transition of power can take place. Is there any historical precedent for that? And is that even possible, given that the U.S. right now doesn't have a military or diplomatic presence inside Venezuela?
GAMARRA: Well, correct. And perhaps, you know, it's important to go back about a hundred years when the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine was in place. The United States invaded Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, invaded Haiti. It also essentially ran Cuba. But in each of those cases, there was a U.S. military occupation of those countries. In this case, it's very interesting because there is no military presence, although the president told us yesterday that there could be an additional military intervention if things don't go the way he foresees them. But at the moment, we are essentially relying on this vice president and essentially the same regime. So in this sense, there was no real regime change in Venezuela because we're relying on Delcy Rodríguez and the whole crew that has, in fact, been running Venezuela with Maduro for the last decade.
RASCOE: When you look at the overall history of U.S. involvement in Latin America, how do you assess the results, both for U.S. interests and for the people of Latin America who ultimately live with the consequences of the U.S. actions?
GAMARRA: Well, you know, it's interesting because over the last two decades, most of us, analysts in particular, were often complaining about the lack of attention that the United States was giving to Latin America. Except for the war on drugs, except for the very strong bonds with Colombia, for example - right? - the U.S. was largely absent in the region. The focus was elsewhere. But this administration has not only redefined the Monroe Doctrine under now the Trump corollary, but is essentially saying that we - that this is the key area of interest for - to the United States. And this aligns with a shift toward the right of many countries in Latin America through electoral processes - Milei in Argentina, Kast in Chile, etc., right?
RASCOE: Do you think that's good or bad?
GAMARRA: It's complicated, and the value judgment at this stage is difficult because we don't know what the results will be. What, to me, is striking about Venezuela is that, in fact, there has been no regime change, and our interests are largely driven by the interests of the oil companies that the president has been largely supportive of.
RASCOE: That's Eduardo Gamarra from Florida International University. Thank you so much for joining us.
GAMARRA: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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